


Mittens // Marichat

by ReynaLovegood2



Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Anxiety, Anxiety Attacks, Birthday, F/M, Miraculous Ladybug Love Square, Mittens - Freeform, Peacock Miraculous
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-10-25
Updated: 2020-11-23
Packaged: 2021-03-09 05:49:03
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 7
Words: 7,885
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27188893
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ReynaLovegood2/pseuds/ReynaLovegood2
Summary: Gabriel Agreste had never been one to sit down and have meaningful talks with his son. And when it was just days before the son's birthday (which was also the second he'd be spending without his mother)- well, you can understand why that would seem somehow significant."Why does father want to talk to me?" He asked the stoic woman next to him.Natalie paused, her face not betraying her emotions in any way. "He didn't say."Or the one where Marinette's birthday present destroys his already wavering faith on his father, which leads to him going on a series of adventures to find out the truth.Started on August 30th, 2020.I hope you like this story.Yours TrulyReynaLovegood2 :)
Relationships: Adrien Agreste | Chat Noir/Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug, Alya Césaire/Nino Lahiffe, Emilie Agreste & Gabriel Agreste | Papillon | Hawk Moth
Comments: 16
Kudos: 102





	1. A Talk

Adrien was a nervous wreck. That wasn't usually his thing but after what happened in the morning, you would hardly be surprised. 

His leg moved up and down, in pace with his hand strumming on the desk. 

"Dude, what's going on with you?" 

His head snapped to the side and he looked at Nino with wide eyes. What _was_ going on with him? 

"I... really don't know." He replied.

Mrs. Mendeleiv made her presence aware by clearing her throat. His gaze turned to the teacher who was staring at him intently. 

"Adrien, would you mind telling me what I was just explaining to the rest of the class." 

Shit.

He glanced at the blackboard behind her and something came back to him; something about the balancing of chemical equations-

"Right. Please pay attention next time, Mr. Agreste." She said, turning her narrowed eyes from his face to the book in her hand.

The rest of the day went in a similar manner: Adrien listening to words without hearing them and everyone asking him what was wrong. The reason behind it was still something of a mystery. His father had called him to his office many times, why would this time be any different? 

_Maybe because your birthday is right around the corner_ , said a small, Plagg-like voice in his mind.

He shook his head, trying to clear his mind. But before he realized, the bell rang. 

A jolt of anticipation ran down his spine, settling as a pool of dread in his stomach. He packed his things absent-mindedly, hoping his father would have other engagements, like every other time.

Nino walked alongside him as they exited the building. 

"You don't have to tell me what's going on, but if you decide to, just know that I'll be here for you, bud." 

That's what happens when your best friend knows everything about you. Adrien could never hide anything from the brunette. 

He sent the aspiring musician a grateful look, who lifted his cap slightly in acknowledgement before going his way. 

Natalie was sitting on the other side of the limo as he got in. He almost expected her to start with, "I'm sorry, Adrien, your father..." and give some excuse for him being a neglectful father. Again. For the first time he was disappointed that it didn't arrive. Gabriel Agreste had never been one to sit down and have meaningful talks his son. And when it was just days before the son's birthday (which was also the second he'd be spending without his mother)- well, you can understand why that would seem somehow significant. 

"Why does father want to talk to me?" He asked the stoic woman next to him.

Natalie paused, her face not betraying her emotions in any way. "He didn't say." 

Adrien didn't bother to pry futher, knowing he wouldn't get answers. The city whizzed past him in a blur of off-white, blue, and specs of all the other colours in between. The Agreste mansion loomed ever closer and the knot in his stomach seemed to tighten with every inch.

"Your father is waiting for you in the drawing room, Adrien." 

Walking up the stairs had never taken this long. The door had never been this heavy nor had it ever opened so loudly.

His knees were wobbling and his heart seemed to dream of becoming Usain Bolt. It was not unlike his first day at school; he just hoped that he wouldn't be falsely accused of anything this time.

*

"Hello, father. You wanted to talk to me." A voice said. It took him a while to realize that it had been his own, trembling voice.

"Yes, Adrien, I wanted to talk to you." Said the man, facing the portrait of his mother. "Your birthday, it's coming up, isn't it?"

He was starting to doubt whether that was a rhetorical question, when his father spoke again.

"But first, sit down. It has been too long since we've had a proper talk." 

His heart calmed to a waddling penguin's pace as his father waved towards his desk chair. He thought back to the times he would sit there on his mom's lap and sneak a look at all of father's latest designs. And how he would reprimand them when he saw, but never wholeheartedly, cracking a smile as Emilie giggled. He would even end up showing them the rest. 

His father turned around and Adrien was struck by how pale and thin he had become. He hadn't seen the man in a long time but he could swear that Gabriel hadn't been this frail the last time they had seen each other. 

For the first time, he also noticed the usually neat desk was unkempt. Pieces of fabric were laying on the ground instead of the scrap box beside the desk. 

However, Adrien said nothing, worrying from afar just as his father had been doing for as long as he could remember.

"How's school?" 

Adrien met his father's eyes briefly, before the older man looked away, focusing on the window at the other end of the room.

"School's going great." Adrien replied, wondering if his father had something else of importance to say or if he had been worrying for no reason at all.

"Good, good. That's all well, then, yes... "

"You had something to say about my birthday."

He cringed, causing a seed of apprehension to sprout in his heart again. 

"There's a photoshoot." His father forced the words out.

"... So?" 

He had never been informed of photoshoots beforehand, unless... 

"On- on my birthday?" 

Gabriel wasn't moved. "The decision wasn't mine-"

"And you expect me to go? That's what all of these niceties were about, then? To convince me?"

A cold silence greeted his sentence.

Of course, being the son of a fashion designer came with its disadvantages. He may have had all the 'luxuries', but that also meant having a father who never bothered about his feelings. And it wasn't like he had a choice, but if he had, he would've chosen a normal life any day.

With his mind in a fury beyond control, his father's lack of response almost threw him off. He had expected at least a telling off, or a command to go. And despite how hard it was to get off the comforting chair, Adrien did just that. 

"I- I'll think about it." He said quietly. At his father's nod, he left without saying another word, stunned. 

Plagg flew out of his shirt the moment his door slammed shut. "What do you mean you'll think about it?"

Adrien shrugged, dropping his bag beside his bed and collapsing face first onto his bed.

"You aren't actually gonna go, are you?"

Adrien made a weird throaty sound, that could have been taken as assent or denial, whatever would make the Kwami shut up. Unfortunately, the creature huffed and knowing Plagg, that meant he still had something to say.

"Fine! Do what you want. Go ahead and do whatever your daddy tells you to," Plagg turned around and flew away muttering something about cheese.

Adrien rolled his eyes. He ignored the small, floating figure, in favor of dwelling in his depressing thoughts.

His father had been behaving strangely- well, stranger than before; he seemed too pale for his own good and seemed to have lost a few pounds too. 

For the next few hours he remained in the same position. His thoughts had started spiraling; from feeling sorry for his father's weak state to hating him for being this inconsiderate.

A sudden vibration shook him from his thoughts late in the evening. He fished his phone from the untouched school bag and saw his best friend's face. 

"Hi, Nino, what's up?" He said, answering the call.

_"Hey, man. Um, I just- I was wondering if you wanted to come over to my place, some time next week."_

"Why? Anything special?" Adrien asked, believing he had some idea on what it might be about.

 _"No! Nothing. Just us friends, prefferably on-"_ He pretended to think, _"Hmm... Friday? That okay with you?"_

Adrien hesitated. Plagg was glaring at him from his desk and watching him carefully. 

"... Yeah, that's great." 

_"See you then, dude."_

The Kwami had a smug look on his face as he turned around to eat his cheese. 

The phone beeped cut and a sigh escaped his lips. He wondered what he could say to convince his father against the photoshoot, giving him an oppurtunity to sneak out of the house for what he was sure was a surprise party.

"Eh... maybe later." He muttered, falling into an uneasy, guilt-ridden sleep.

~

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello! Thanks for reading my story, I hope you like it so far.
> 
> What do you think Adrien will do? 
> 
> Do you think he is starting to see his father differently now or is he feeling sympathetic?
> 
> Yours Truly 
> 
> ReynaLovegood2 :)


	2. Chance Lost

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> TRIGGER WARNING for anyone who is struggling or has ever struggled with anxiety.
> 
> I have never had to deal with anxiety but I know people who have and it's not something to be taken lightly. I'm not sure how it really feels to have something like that but this is what I gathered from my research. 
> 
> It may not be a hundred percent accurate nor is it that detailed but please, PLEASE put your health before anything else. Read at your own risk.
> 
> There will be a short summary of the chapter at the end, if you choose not to read it. 

Adrien slept without really sleeping for the next few days. 

The drama had never bothered him before, but this time it took away his sleep and ability to stay focused.

The feeling of dread lingering in his heart as he woke up in the morning had subsided gradually along with his father's need to talk. Gabriel didn't speak a word to him in the following weekend, causing him to wonder whether the conversation had even occurred. Everything seemed to be back to normal, with silent, dull suppers and no noise other than the clatter of silverware.

Monday morning found him more guilt free than the past two days, ready to forget about all his problems and desperately wishing for an Akuma attack.

He wondered when Hawk Moth would just do something. The villain seemed to be on some sort of hiatus for the last month or so and seeing Ladybug would definitely make him feel better; no one could cheer him up like the lady in red.

School held no surprises. It was the same sight he saw everyday : tense and chatty teenagers, sitting in their seats, worrying about the previous week's homework.

"Hey, dude!" Nino called.

Adrien didn't break the norm. They talked about homework and their whereabouts during the weekend until the teacher came in. The day was as uneventful as they come, though Nino provided him with several jokes (some a bit too mature to mention) in the duration of their first couple classes after which he got bored and stopped paying much attention.

Marinette and Alya accompanied them to the cafeteria for lunch. The blue eyed girl was frantically whispering something to the latter at the table. He caught snippets like, "A week-" and "same fabric-", there also seemed to be lots of sulking from the former while Alya chuckled. This wasn't unusual, the two friends were always like that but Marinette seemed genuinely upset.

"I know you like Marinette and all but I would appreciate it if his highness could maybe pay attention to what I was saying once in a while." Nino said, smirking.

Adrien's gaze fell onto his plate and he mumbled quickly, with burning cheeks, "I don't _like_ her, not- not like that- I-"

"I was just teasing, man." Nino chuckled. Adrien shook his head and tried to finish eating with his face still red. 

As much as he tried to forget about that, Nino's words lingered in his mind. He stopped paying attention to what the teachers were saying after lunch, glancing at the seat behind him way too often. 

They walked behind the girls in the evening and Adrien was suddenly reminded of what happened last friday. When he was walking down the same path last week, he hadn't been aware of what was waiting for him at home : disappointment and regret. 

His thoughts scattered immediately. He tried to focus on other things to distract himself. 

_Physics assignment! We have to do that thing with... with pi- circles! Or velocity... something._

Trying to remember his physics lesson proved pointless as he couldn't seem to remember a word. The dread wouldn't disappear even by thinking of what had been haunting him since lunch. All he could think about was the conversation with his father and guilt of promising Nino he would be there for the (probably) surprise party.

"Figure yourself out by tomorrow, will you?" Nino joked, winking at him before going his way. Adrien glanced across the street towards his right and saw Marinette disappearing into the bakery.

Nothing was different on his way home. Again, everything seemed to be normal, but his heart nearly stopped when he opened the door and saw familiar cold eyes on a surprisingly pale face, waiting for him on the stairs.

"Father." He greeted.

"Have you... decided?" 

Adrien knew what he was talking about but why on Earth was the stone-hearted man asking for his decision? Something about the whole situation was off.

"I... I- actually-"

Some kids get intimidated by their dads at a young age, with their large forms and condescending nature, only to understand their behaviour later in life. Here he was, in high school, still afraid of his father, who was _smaller_ than he was supposed to be.

"So, you're not?"

"No! I- uh..." 

_Why did I say that? Why did I say that? WHY-_

"Great. It's always good to put work ahead of other things, son. You can stay home from school that day." 

Adrien couldn't open his mouth; words and sentences he wanted to say formed a giant blur in his mind. His breathing sped up, becoming short and choppy. He nodded and waited with his eyes on the floor, rushing to his room the moment his father's door slammed shut. 

_Deep breaths_ , he told himself. 

Plagg flew into his drawer and tried to make himself scarce, knowing from experience what was going to happen. His eyes started getting wet. He pushed his back against the wall slowly, trying to hold back the tears and building fear in his heart. 

Sinking to the ground, he tried to ignore the voices telling him to let go. The waves of overwhelming terror, along with his heart trying to burst out of his ribs, wouldn't calm down. He pressed his palms against his forehead and let the familiar scent of cheese fill his nose. 

By the time he regained focus, a quarter of an hour later, his breathing had slowed down, his cheeks were tear-stained and a blanket was draped around the bottom half of his body.

Adrien walked to his desk and took out his books, trying to focus on anything other than his current predicament. 

"You sure stressing yourself out with homework is a good idea, kid?" Plagg said, leaning against his pencil stand. Adrien gave a noncommittal shrug.

"Anything," his dry, croaky voice sounded foreign, even to him but he had seen worse. 

Shakespeare was never as interesting as it was today as he tried to forget about his woes by indulging in those of Bassanio and Antonio. It was selfish of him and he would probably have a couple more breakdowns until he found a solution to his problems. But he put it off for later as that is the way procrastination works. 

~

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Summary : Nino makes an off-hand comment about Adrien liking Marinette, leaving the boy flustered. At home, Gabriel waits for him and asks him whether he decided about his birthday. Adrien accidentaly agrees to it and that leads to him having a panic attack.
> 
> ~
> 
> Why do you think Adrien was so unsure about this? What would you have done in his place?
> 
> Thanks for reading. Comments are much appreciated! I promise there will be Marichat interaction in the next chapter, so stay tuned for that.
> 
> Yours Truly
> 
> ReynaLovegood2 :) 


	3. Cinna-Man Takes The Stage

"I think I'm gonna turn in a bit early today." Adrien said, yawning dramatically. 

"Of course, son. Have a goodnight."

"Goodnight father, 'night Natalie."

He rushed to his room as slowly as possible, sighing as he entered. 

"You're an evil genius, you know?" Plagg commented.

"Sure." He rolled his eyes. The kwami knew full well how he came up with the idea and it was definitely not from his own head. Adrien glanced at the annoyingly familiar blue and black box on his bed, the one he had seen every year, except the last, on this particular day.

"Plagg, claws out!" 

Chat Noir jumped across the rooftops as he often did when sleep evaded him or was in need of a little peace and quiet, silently thanking his best friend for suggesting having the party at night (oh, sorry, he meant going to Nino's to study).

The lights were blurred in his vision while speeding towards his best friend's house on a calm Friday night. As Nino's place approached, he slowed down and landed noiselessly in a dark alleyway to detransform. He was about to do just that, when he heard a scurry of footsteps in front of him. The young hero stood perfectly still, watching a masked man take small peeks at the pathway to his right. Voices could be heard coming from the path, both female and very familiar. 

The voices became louder. He sprinted forward as Marinette and Alya came into his line of vision. The attacker shoved the shorter girl and grabbed her purse. An indescribable emotion crashed down on his heart in waves. His baton was out and flying before he knew what was going on. Then he heard the _smack!_

The stick was held loosely in his hand as he stared at the dark haired girl in admiration.

Marinette took her purse and held it to her heaving chest, her wide eyes slowly landing on him. "Ch- Chat Noir?"

"G'evening, princess." He grinned.

Alya looked from one to the other, blinking. "Um... hi?"

"Hello," he greeted and addressed the other girl again, "you throw a mean punch, Marinette."

The girl laughed. "Yeah, I guess I do. What are you doing here?" 

"Oh, you know... just wandering."

"Like an alley cat, I presume?"

He threw his head back and clutched his ribs as he chuckled. 

"Oh yes. Just a poor street cat looking for some lonely princess to take him in." Placing a clawed hand over his chest, he looked into Marinette's eyes imploringly.

"Aw, poor kitty. But if you think I'm going to take pity on you, then you can forget about it," she said, a smile creeping onto her face, "besides, we have a surprise party to get to, don't we, Alya?"

The poor girl was still stuck, probably having a hard time comprehending her best friend's relationship with one of Paris' beloved superheroes. Marinette replaced the purse to its proper place at her waist and looked up at Alya with an eyebrow raised, "Don't we?"

"Huh? Oh, yeah! It was nice meeting you, Chat Noir."

He smirked and said, "I'll see you two later, then. Paris won't save itself-" 

The masked thief at their feet started to stir, rubbing the back of his hand over a bruised cheek bone with a groan.

"Get!" He shouted and the crook scrambled to get up, practically crawling the way to the back of the alley. 

The girls giggled. 

" _Bonne nuit_ , ladies." He gave them a two-fingered salute and climbed back up the roof he had come from.

" _Princess?_ " Alya whispered as he left. "How close _are_ you with Chat Noir?"

He laughed to himself and waited a couple minutes before following the two into Nino's apartment as Adrien Agreste.

The ruckus from inside came to a halt as he rang the doorbell, followed by lots of whispering and silence as Nino opened the wooden door. 

"Hey, dude." The door was thrown wide open. 

Where everybody was supposed to yell "surprise!", they ended up scattered and at different times. There were a couple minutes of awkward silence as no one said anything. A loud pop was heard to the right and he glanced at who he assumed was Nathaniel, who had burst the party popper in his own face with the absolute worst timing ever.

Adrien laughed. 

He laughed like it was the best thing that could have happened to him. Because it was. Everyone else joined in and soon they were all on the floor.

"Thank you," he said to Nino, who was grinning.

"What for? This was a disaster and trust me, it's only getting worse."

Adrien raised an eyebrow. The brunette scratched his neck and chuckled before pointing at the pink and white cake on the dining table, "There was a slight mix up with the cake."

He snorted so hard his dinner almost came back up his nose. The cream coloured cake with pink flowery decorations on the table spelled out, "Happy 65th Birthday Linda".

That night, they ate cake, his friends sang him an out-of-tune 'happy birthday', and gave him their presents. He didn't need anything money could buy and they knew that, which was why his eyes welled up with tears when he saw a cluster of cards and handmade gifts that meant more to him than anything his father had ever got him.

It was the best birthday ever.

"H-hey, Adrien." Marinette stood in front of him, holding out a green box. She bit her lip and refused to meet his eyes. "Birth - hap - I mean, um... happy b-birthday."

Adrien chuckled softly at her awkwardness, offering her a warm smile. "Thanks." 

She gave him a wide smile and was about to turn back when glass shattered from somewhere inside.

His sharpened hearing was the only thing that saved the girl and only by an inch. He flung himself at Marinette and they hit the ground as something big sailed over their heads. He looked up to see that it was a giant roll of... cinnamon? 

"MARINETTE DUPAIN-CHENG! I am Cinna-Man and you shall shall be the first to try my delicious bread." 

Marinette groaned, rolling her eyes and muttering, "Just great."

~


	4. Explain

"You know, for an evil villian, he wasn't that sinister." He said, leaning against the railing of Nino's roof. Ladybug rolled her eyes.

"How many times do I have to tell you, chaton? They're just civilians, the real villian is-"

"Hawkmoth. Yeah, I know. I just meant that-" 

And he thought about it real hard for a while.

Ladybug cocked a brow, crossing her arms and turning to face him.

"He was easier to defeat than the others? His only motive was.... what? Getting people to eat his bread 'cause one bakery rejected it? That's a dumb reason, if you ask me."

She hummed with a faraway look in her eyes.

"Well, it isn't beneath Hawk Moth to do such a thing but he has been absent for quite a while..." She let the thought hang.

In an attempt to lighten the mood, he added, looking down at the city, "I think it's because I haven't seen m'lady in so long that I've been _feline_ down lately."

Her chuckle echoed, despite there being nothing to echo off of. 

"Hate to admit it but I may have missed you-" He almost snapped his neck turning towards her. "-r puns! Your _puns_. Don't get any ideas, kitty."

The girl glared playfully. He flashed her a grin, feeling the weight of the world being the lifted off his shoulders. "I'll see you next time, then, bugaboo."

"The nicknames less," she muttered, rolling her eyes with a tired smile. He merely grinned at her.

"I bid you adieu," Chat bowed. 

Ladybug waved before grabbing her yoyo and leisurely swinging across the city of Paris. He went the other direction and quickly made a U-turn back to the apartment building he had come from. 

"Plagg, claws in." He whispered, landing on the bedroom balcony. Adrien turned the corner and a blur of blue-black hair was all he saw before a warm body collided into his.

"Woah!"

_Marinette._

They were a pile of limbs on the floor. Her cheeks were a bright red and Adrien had a suspicion his were too as he scrambled to stand, offering her a hand with wide eyes.

"Sorry, I didn't quite see you there." He said, rubbing the back of his neck.

"Umm... yeah."

They stood there for a while, Adrien shifting his weight, until the door was pushed open. 

"I'll check in here-" Nino stood frozen. "... Am I interrupting? Yeah, I should probably just leave-" 

He made to close the door. "No! Wait- we weren't- nothing- I mean-"

Something clicked in his brain. _Oh, right, I should be denying it._

"We were both hiding in the balcony but I didn't know Marinette was there. When I came out, I crashed into her and I had just helped her up."

Nino looks at them skeptically. "Okay, then..."

"Did you find them?" Alya asked the moment Nino came out.

"Yup, they were in there making out."

Adrien hit his best friend playfully on the shoulder, trying to hide his burning cheeks. Marinette hid her flushed face in her hands, groaning. Alya gave the girl a thumbs up and he chuckled lightly.

"Guess we should all go home now." 

Lots of tired sighs and hums filled the room in response. Nino gave him a plastic bag to put all the cards and he thanked everyone one last time as they stepped out while stacking the gifts neatly. A certain green box may have been carefully placed on top.

The room felt empty without all the people. 

"I'll see you later then, buddy," said Nino, opening the door, "have a goodnight."

Adrien clapped his best friend on the shoulder and muttered a final "thanks" before stepping out.

"Hold the door!" Marinette came stumbling forward, almost tripping over her own feet in her rush to reach the door. He held it open and the girl quickly walked out with a blush and a small smile.

"G'night, Nino."

The brunette waved goodbye, winking slightly before shutting the door. 

"So... what did you get me, Marinette?" He asked in an attempt to make conversation as they walked down the stairs.

She giggled, holding a hand up to her mouth. "I won't tell you that, silly. It's supposed to be a surprise."

Adrien smiled at her actions - since when were they so endearing?

"The party's over, you might as well." 

He met her eye and she merely shook her head, the smile not leaving her face. They stepped out into the night, the moon shone bright with a reflected light, while Marinette seemed to be her own source of it. 

They walked in silence. Neither of them paid attention to the path they were taking; Marinette staring out into the distance and Adrien thinking how cute she looked with her teeth chewing her lip and eyebrows drawn together, as she tucked the hair being blown into her face behind her ear. It took him a couple more minutes of staring at the girl to realize the wind was getting stronger with each step.

"The weather's getting worse, we should probably hurry." As much as he wanted to admire the girl for a bit longer, he really didn't want either of them to get sick.

Marinette hummed before turning to look at him properly. "Sorry, what?"

He chuckled at her increasingly pink cheeks and repeated the statement. She looked up and cracked a small smile herself.

"Yeah, sorry, I was just thinking about something else..." Her eyes glossed over again but she gathered herself. "My house is just around that corner."

He nodded and they speed walked to the Dupain-Cheng bakery. By the time the bell over the bakery door chimed, it had started drizzling and they were both a bit damp.

"Oh, good, you're home. I was starting to get worried." Sabine stepped away from the counter and wrapped her arms around her daughter. "Adrien! What a nice surprise. Happy birthday, dear."

"Thank you." He stood, subject to the gazes of both women, hand still on the door knob. "I should probably go now."

"But it's raining." Marinette chimed in.

"It's okay, I can walk."

"In this rain?" Sabine's gentle caring voice made him want to stay.

"Um..." He tried to think of an excuse. "It isn't that far- and I promised my father I'd be home."

"Are you sure, dear?" Her sweet voice almost swayed him. He wondered whether, if his mother were here, she would be like that, with such a kind heart and pleasant voice that it would make you feel comfortable despite being in half wet clothes and lying through your teeth.

"Yeah, it's best if I leave before it gets too much worse." 

Adrien resisted the urge, aware of his dad at home who probably thought he was sound asleep. 

"Marinette, get the boy an umbrella, will you?" 

"Yes, Mama." She ran upstairs and came dashing back down quite soon, if a bit paler than before. Adrien took the familiar black umbrella from her with a smile and said, "isn't this mine?" as he opened the door.

"Yeah, I was never able to give it back to you, so..." Marinette blushed.

"Thank you."

He pushed the door open with his shoulder, hands busy holding the kit full of cards and Marinette's- sorry, his umbrella. Adrien was able to catch a glimpse of the mother and daughter before the door shut behind him. 

The rain patterned against the strong material above his head. But that was lost on Adrien, as he was thinking about the last time he had seen it in the hands of a certain pretty girl in his class. 

He walked nearly a block before realizing that he should just transform.

With the umbrella and plastic bag hooked on his belt, he took off into the night as Chat Noir. The window to his room was still cracked open so he slipped in easily, shaking the water from his hair like the cat he is.

"Claws in." 

The thud made him wince. 

He shoved the all the things he had dragged in under the bed and rushed into the bathroom. He came back out in fresh, less wet clothes, falling back onto the bed.

The sounds of paper being torn and cards being flipped open filled his room that night. The boring, old pen awaiting him inside the blue and black, striped box almost didn't disappoint him though, when he saw what was inside the green one he had carefully placed on top of the rest. 

A pair of mittens lay on his bed, forgotten, as he threw his cupboard open in search of the one thing he had cherished most in the past year. 

Then both lay forgotten in his room as he went back out the way he came, despite a complaining Plagg. He had to get to the bottom of this... this... nefarious- _evil_ \- scheme, he- he had to find out who or what was making him feel this way and why.

And that was why he left for Marinette's place at the middle of the night: to find out why her mittens were... blue.

~

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> What do you think is going on?


	5. Pain

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> TRIGGER WARNING : please skip this chapter if anxiety, or anything of the kind, are triggering to you. There will be a summary at the end. Please take care of your health, everyone.

"Marinette," he knocked on her balcony window thrice. He stepped back with his heart itching in anticipation and fiddled with his leather tail, and hair alternatively. He started to lean forward again, hand extended, when a disgruntled looking Marinette came outside.

"Chat?" She blinked at him. "What are you doing here?"

Her wet hair was pulled back into a ponytail, with pieces sticking out in places and her clothes were rumpled.

"You... shouldn't tie wet hair," was all he could manage.

"... What?" She ran her hands through her hair, causing more strands to pop up on her usually neat head.

Chat chuckled and said, "something my mom used to say."

He carefully pulled the elastic from her hair. 

"Oh," Marinette nodded, biting her lip, before focusing her attention on him for the first time since he arrived there with a twinkle in her eye, "Is that why you're here? To tell me not to tie my hair when it's wet?"

"Of course. We can't have the princess disobeying orders, can we?" He grinned.

"But how'd you know? Are you spying on me, kitty? Should I be worried?" She placed a hand to her chest in mock concern.

He joined in on her bright laughter, but not without taking a moment to admire the way her face lit up when she laughed, despite looking so messy.

"So why are you here?" 

He sighed. "I was just bored" 

Marinette raised an eyebrow. "It's past midnight." She stated.

"Yeah- I couldn't sleep." He paused. "Seems you couldn't either."

The soft, awkward smile she gave him made his insides feel warm. She shook her head, taking a few steps forward to rest her elbows on the railing. The city of Paris was like a giant in slumber, taking in deep breaths, as calm as his heart wished to be.

"It's a long story." She said.

"The night's still young." Her lopsided grin made butterflies erupt in his stomach that he would probably have chased, if they were real. "Spare no detail."

"Take a seat, this will take a while."

*

"I- I'm sorry, but I have to-" He cut her off. His heart was beating wildly in his chest, he had to get back to his place before anything happened. "I... gotta go."

"Chat, what's wrong?" Marinette stood, placing a hand on his arm with wide eyes. "Is it something I said?"

The bright blue staring into his eyes with concern did nothing to calm his increasing heart rate.

"Chat Noir?"

And he bolted; flung himself across the rooftops, barely reaching a building out of the girl's line of sight before collapsing.

His hands were shaking, so he wrapped them around his body. That only made his body tremble more and provided him little warmth but there was nothing else he could do. His heart was pounding in his ears and her words ran through his mind in rapid succession.

_Gave him the wrong one._

_Same fabric._

_The gift had made him so happy._

_I just hope he won't notice..._

Why was it affecting him like this? His father was a cold man, who didn't care about him in the slightest... then why did it hurt so much?

His heart was trying to pound its way out of his chest and seemed to be succeeding. He blinked back the tears, despite knowing that they were bound to fall.

But he knew. He knew why it hurt, why his father not actually giving him that scarf felt worse than he would have ever imagined. And the thought sent him deeper down the spiral.

The coolness of the brick wall seeped in through his costume and his head seemed to be out for his life more than Hawkmoth. Or maybe there was a tiny little Thor in his head, trying to hammer its way out of his skull. 

Yeah, like the Norse god doesn't have better things to do.

The rising sun bathed the skyline varying hues of red and orange. The sunlight caused him to open his eyes and, honestly, the brightness increased the ache tenfold. 

His legs seemed completely opposed to the thought of him standing, they simply refused to send any messages to his brain, which was rather off-putting. He almost fell back on his butt, yet managed shake them in an attempt to try and restore feeling. However, he resorted to something that didn't require legs : swinging.

And the giant started to wake, blinking its heavy eyelids and staring at its body as it slowly regained consciousness. 

"I'm sorry, Plagg." Adrien held the Kwami in his shaking hands, close enough to provide warmth to both of them, once they reached home.

"So, what are you gonna do, kid?" Plagg's voice deeper and more quiet. The moment was unusual, intimate, but one he wished he could share with his father or someone else, maybe.

"I don't know." 

And Adrien tried to sleep, really, he did, but his eyes wouldn't close and his heart wouldn't slow its pace, so he stayed up till the A.M.

~

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Summary : Adrien goes to see Marinette and realizes that she was the one who made the scarf last year. He rushes off and breaks down on the roof of some building. He is devastated and does not kniw what to do next.
> 
> ~
> 
> Why do you think Gabrielle not giving Adrien the gift is affecting him so much?
> 
> Is it terrible? I feel like it's terrible, anyway...
> 
> Yours Truly 
> 
> ReynaLovegood2 :) 


	6. The Voice

Adrien held onto the strap of his bag like his life depended on it. Wide eyes turned to either side and an ear was pressed to his father's door. There was no noise from inside. 

The door creaked open. He tiptoed to the painting of his mother, leaving a crack open.

"Are you sure about this?" Adrien whispered to the pocket on the inside of his shirt.

"Hmm... probably." Plagg flew through the painting safe.

Adrien rolled his eyes. 

His body tensed up, his heart started to beat faster as a small click echoed through the room.

His hand ran over all the things slightly as he looked through them. It lingered for a moment on the picture of his mother. 

He fisted his hand and took a deep breath. 

The ancient book was dropped into his bag, the painting clicked shut, and Adrien was out of there before anyone saw him.

"Hey, dude!" Nino greeted as he got out of the vehicle. He raised an eyebrow. "What, no scarf this year? Not even a hat?"

Adrien was used to forced smiles, and he knew he was going to have to use it today, he just didn't expect it to be this soon. His heart squeezed itself up until it was just a tiny, wound up spring. His face, however, probably looked as it did every other day.

"No, just the pen this year." He had to muster all his poster-boy acting skills to try and not make his chuckle sound fake. 

"Oh, that's too bad," he paused, then elbowed him and said, "At least we had a great time, ey?" 

His smile became genuine for a moment before dying out again.

And he sat through his classes, as tedious as they were, without falling asleep. This was a miracle of some sort that he could not explain if he tried. Or maybe, he was too anxious at the prospect of Plagg accidentaly flying away from his grasp.

The piano recording played in the background, loud enough to make his ears bleed. His sofa that was comfortable most days, seemed to be made of pins. His hands played with anything and everything in sight as he waited on Plagg. "Anything?"

"Nope, can't read it." Adrien stared at the kwami, who was holding onto the table for support.

"What do you mean 'can't read'? I- it's right there!" He finally sat and looked at the floating creature with wide eyes.

"I'm trying! But this is an- an ancient language that we, kwamis, aren't mean- meant to understand." He kept losing his grip.

"Oh, well, that's easy to say now." He mumbled, his hands wrapping around the kwami and bringing him up to eye level. Plagg rolled his eyes. "What am I supposed to do, then? What was the point of stealing this book in the first place? And where do I find the person who does know how to read it?"

Plagg's eyes widened, then narrowed. "I don't know! Maybe there's something... just- you take a look, kid!" 

"I really don't think I'll be able to understand-" Plagg flew out of his hand. Two tiny paws smashed down onto his right cheek, turning his eyes on his father's book. A small weight landed on the crown of his head.

The withering, yellow pages were full of scribled lines and odd shapes. They were thin too, almost crumbling beneath his fingers.

"Do you understand anything?" Plagg urged. He glanced up before looking back down with narrowed eyes.

"The pictures, they..." 

_Ancient deities and half breeds with sleek skin and pointy features. All kinds of animals : lion, serpent, wolf, rabbit, and more. Eerily strange cross of human and beast._

"I think they're..."

_A giant, black humanoid body with a cat's head and glowing green eyes. It's head was adorned with a headpiece and there was something in the middle. It was-_

"Is that my miraculous?" Adrien stood, causing Plagg to squeal and his hair to be tugged on painfully. "Ow!"

"Where?" Plagg shuffled through his hair, presumably to peer down at the book.

"This one!" His finger pointed out the one on the left. "See? On its head."

"All I see is some grey stuff." 

"It's-" Plagg struggled against his palm as he plucked the kwami from his head and brought him closer to the book. "Look! Right there!"

"Oh, wait, I see it now!"

"Really?" 

"NO," Plagg's head thudded against his pointer finger as he groaned, "and turn off that horrid music, will you?" 

"But-" _It's the cat Miraculous._ His breath shook as he continued, "Fine... And, for your information, it's not horrid, it's _Bach._ " 

The music became even louder as he sat on the bench and pressed pause. His head hung low and he set Plagg on the music rack, running his hands through his hair.

"Woaaah-" Plagg was thrown across the room by an invisible hand. His muffled, high-pitched shout came from where he was squashed into the window, "Why'd you put me down?"

"Sorry, Plagg!" Adrien ran toward the window and pulled the kwami away. "Where are you even being pulled to?"

"How am I supposed to know?" Plagg said, petting his own ear gingerly, as he furrowed his non-existent eyebrows.

The incessant urge of human curiosity, itched at his heart. What was his miraculous doing on that cat-man's tiara? Why couldn't Plagg see it? What was this strange new gravitational force that only affected Plagg?

"What are you thinking?" Plagg's eyes turned wide again.

"Just, you know, what you're being pulled towards. Maybe-" The two of them looked at each other with wide eyes.

"Adrien-"

"... Claws out!" 

Plagg's mumbled 'oh no' disappeared into his ring as a green glow filled the room.

His gut wrenched forward, his knees and hands hit the floor with a thud. His head levitated up, pulling his his entire body towards the window. With a bit of force, he got his cheek from where it was pressed against the glass and took a few steps back. 

His knuckles grew white around legs of the piano, the sun disappeared into the sea, and Adrien's leather-covered ass was still stuck on the floor of the Agreste mansion.

_Go._

Who are you? 

_..._

~

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Why do you think Adrien didn't follow the pull?
> 
> Yours Truly 
> 
> ReynaLovegood2 :) 


	7. Yelp

"Chat! Are you alright?" Marinette's hand was on his shoulder as he stumbled onto his feet, trying to keep his feet steady.

"Yeah, just a bit... wobbly." He shook his head. Her intense stare caused him to turn his eyes to the floor.

"And where were you?" 

"I'm sorry, princess. I had places to be."

"You can't just take off like that, I was worried."

"So sorry. I'll never do it to you again." His hand patted her shoulder as he let out a deep breath. 

She rolled her eyes and looked down. Her lips were moving but there was nothing other than air coming out of her mouth.

"What was that?" He said, eyebrow quirked. 

"... Was it something said?" It all came out in a single breath. The look in her eyes, small, hurt, caused him to immediately respond.

"No! Never. being with you always makes me feel.. happy "

Her teeth bit down on her bottom lip, as her eyes met his. "What happened?" 

"My father-" Telling her about what happened was so not an option, unless he wanted her to know his identity, "Um, he's not with us anymore. He passed... recently." 

"Oh, Chat, are you okay?"

"Yeah, yeah. It's hard but, I mean, I'm fine. Sometimes my sadness just escapes in outbursts." 

"If you need someone to talk to, I'm here for you." A strong arm gripped his shoulder as a nervous smile graced her face.

His lips parted slightly as a warm enveloped him. A comforting weight was present on his shoulder and a gentle hand made itself at home in the small of his back. The scent of sweet bread and jasmine filled his nostrils

Then, all rainbow broke loose.

His hand moved in front of Marinette instinctively. "Get inside!" 

Large, vibrant, rainbow blasts orginating from a few miles off hit screaming people left and right. 

Holding his staff, he tried taking off but moving away from the pull proved harder than controlling motion towards it. He covered little ground with every jump, merely a few feet, but he couldn't afford to take that much time. People's lives were in danger. 

He slid down the pole and pressed his body flat against the side of a building, muttering, "claws in." 

Looking around proved that borrowing the tricycle of nearby child seemed to be the only faster solution available... 

"What took you so long?" Ladybug said, extending a hand for Chat Noir, "Are you drunk?" 

"What makes you say that, m'lady?" 

"You just fell on your butt!" 

"Uh, yeah, I'm kinda slippery today." His knees bent, as a warm rainbow ray skimmed over the top of his cat ears.

Green eyes didn't need the excuse of being uncomfortable to be drawn to something other than the female hero. "Lots of pride going on there, I see."

The rays weren't the only things that were colourful. The whole ensemble seemed to just be the brightest versions of every colour on the rainbow, all sewn in a contrast, with simple patterns on the two piece. And, to top it off, a glowing rainbow cape, of course.

"What exactly is his superpower?" 

"As far as I can tell, its just turning people's clothes into more flamboyant colours or into something that in general isn't socially acceptable." Ladybug shrugged, probably gesturing at the silk skirt that the Colourer adorned.

His hands moved to either side of his head, grinning, "You've gotta admit though, either the kid or Hawk Moth's got some serious fashion skills."

Her distant hum made his stomach churn for reasons he couldn't pinpoint.

"I think the akuma might be in the belt..."

*

"Pound it!" 

The boy's clothes were not nearly as bright as they had been before; just a white, fitting tee and a simple, black pencil skirt. He had acne and slight stubble growing on his face. He looked around, squinting. "Where...?" 

Ladybug helped him up, a comforting hand present on his shoulder. "Just Hawk Moth up to his usual schemes. Don't worry, you're fine."

He nodded and looked down, frowning. Ladybug had to lean in to hear the next words that came out of his mouth, while Chat was too far to catch it. 

"Yeah, is it close by? Do you need a ride?" 

He assumed the boy then said 'there', pointing at a nearby building. 

"Okay, then... " she brought a hand up to her earring as it bleeped. "Stay strong."

He nodded again, walking away with his arms crossed. 

"Stay strong?" Chat asked, stifling a laugh. 

"I didn't know what else to say!" She groaned, placing a hand on her forehead. "What would you have said?"

"I dunno, maybe something like 'tell someone if people are bothering you'."

"Would you tell a teacher or parent if someone was bullying you?" 

"Well, no, but-" Ladybug rolled her eyes. " It's still better than ' _stay strong_ '."

"I'll see you later, chaton. I hope you're not drunk by the next time we meet."

The spotted girl swung across the city and his heart started beating wildly again as he whispered, "I hope so too." 

*

"What's so hard about getting up and just letting something pull you away?" 

"What if I don't want to see whatever's causing this?" 

"What if it leads you to Hawk Moth?" 

The series of questions ended as Adrien pondered the possibility.

"Don't tell me you didn't think of that."

"Well..." Plagg groaned. 

Perhaps if they just ignored it, the feeling would go away. Then he looked at his kwami, sitting with his back against a heavy box of CDs almost at the edge of the table it was on, while slowly inching back. 

"We have to look for it some day, I guess." Plagg looked up with interest. "Just... not today." 

Plagg's groan was louder than the box finally hitting the ground as Adrien lunged to grab his tiny body.

~

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm sooo sorry this took forever. I actually won't be updating much, focusing on another fic for the time being (which I'm not publishing till I've written the whole thing, lol, I've learnt my mistake). I'm not giving up on this, of course, but I will take a month or two to actually update so... sorry❤.


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